The Challenge
by sassenachlove
Summary: From a story prompt: I would like to see a fic of Jamie fighting a duel for Claire. Please, we never really see Jamie court her.


**The Challenge**

Claire left the table feeling the effects of Collum's Rhenish. She knew now that Collum had been playing her all along, in hopes of catching her in a lie. He didn't trust her, and, to be honest, she couldn't say she blamed him. She *was* a stranger to their time and she imagined that she would seem odd to some of these people. She thought it best to leave the great hall before she humiliated herself further.

She stumbled slowly out of the hall, relieved when she finally found her way through the doorway into the hallway. She had been so naive to think that she could lie her way through this situation. Collum was very observant, cunning, and had a keen intellect. A true Laird if she'd ever seen one.

She made her way down the main hallway, stopping to vomit once along the way. She rounded a corner and, quite literally, ran into Dougal Mackenzie.

"Oy, lass! I'm surprised to see ye wanderin' the halls alone. Would ye like me to escort ye to yer room? I could keep ye company." He winked at her and ran his hand down her arm, suggestively.

She saw that he was quite inebriated and thought it best that she not encourage him, particularly since his intentions were far from honorable.

"No, thank you, Dougal. I'll manage."

She moved to walk around him and he caught her arm roughly, pushing her back against the wall.

"Och, lass, it isna safe fer ye here all alone. Ye need a man to protect ye….I can do that." He pressed himself against her, then, and it was quite apparent that he wanted to do more than protect her.

She stiffened. "Dougal, unhand me and let me by! Go find yourself some other lass to warm your bed!"

Affronted, Dougal pressed his hands against her shoulders, pinning her more forcefully against the wall.

"Help!" she cried out, loud as she could. Unfortunately, the sounds coming from the great hall drowned out her protests. She kept calling out, hoping someone would hear her before it was too late.

Dougal began running one of his hands over her body and she fought against him as best she could. His grip was inexorable, though, and she couldn't break free.

She looked over Dougal's shoulder and saw a shape coming down the stairs. She knew that form almost instantly. "Jamie! Help me! Help!"

Within seconds, Jamie was there. He yanked Dougal off of her and punched his uncle in the jaw with such force that Dougal fell to the floor, knocked out cold. Jamie's fierce expression reminded her of the paintings she had seen of blood-thirsty Vikings, intent on pillaging and murder. The sight scared her for a moment, but then, she found herself oddly touched. He had defended her with such ferocity, even against his own uncle.

She could see his blood boiling as he looked at Dougal's prostrate form. He made a visible effort to calm himself before turning around to look at her.

"Are ye alright, Sassenach?" His voice quivered and she was surprised to see that there was fear in his eyes. He wasn't afraid of his uncle….he was afraid for her.

"Jamie, I…" she started, looking into the deep blue pools of his eyes. She cleared her throat before continuing, "Yes, I'm fine. Dougal surprised me in the hall and…" Her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears.

Jamie, seeing her distress, came over to her immediately, wrapping her in his arms to comfort her. In his arms, she was safe.

After a few moments, she calmed enough to say, "Th-thank you, Jamie…for saving me."

"Oh, sweet lass, I'll always be here when ye need me. Count on that." He patted her head softly, breathing in her scent, and it took all his strength not to kiss her.

"Jamie, will you…take me upstairs to my chamber? I mean…" she quickly added, seeing his startled expression, "just to make sure I get there safe? This whole thing has frightened me."

He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't refuse. He wanted her to be safe, and to be honest, he wanted to be the one to protect her. Always. "Aye, lass. I'll take ye to yer room."

He offered her his arm and escorted her up to her third floor room. He made sure not to enter the room, lest it be perceived as improper. Truth be told, he wanted to follow her in there more than anything, but wouldn't do so out of respect for her and the future he hoped to have with her. He vowed to make her his wife…someday.

Jamie bowed to her and said "Goodnight Sassenach," before turning to descend the stairs once more.

* * *

In the morning, Claire went downstairs for breakfast, feeling much better after a good night's rest. When she entered the hall, her eyes automatically scanned the room for Jamie. After a moment, she saw him enter through another doorway. His eyes scanned the room, too, and his face broke out into a dazzling smile when he saw her.

He started to make his way toward her, but suddenly stopped mid-stride. His face was no longer smiling. In fact, she saw a glimpse of that Viking warrior in his expression. She turned to see what had caused this reaction and saw that Dougal had just entered the room.

 _Oh no,_ she thought to herself. _Jamie, don't do it!_

Jamie changed direction, making a beeline for his uncle. Claire was too far away to hear what was said, but the look on Jamie's face made it clear that he was none too pleased.

* * *

"Uncle, I would speak with ye in private," Jamie said, coming up to Dougal.

Dougal's face darkened for a moment, seeing Jamie's expression. "Aye, lad. What has ye all in a dander this early in the morning? Ye need to find ye a nice, soft lassie to bed ye, then ye may not be so grumpy when ye wake up." Dougal smirked at him.

Jamie led him out into the hallway. "I ken ye know all about that, uncle, since ye seem to always be on the prowl for innocent lassies."

"What are ye about, lad? Is this about last night?" Seeing Jamie start to fume, Dougal grinned. "If ye mean to apologize fer punchin' me last night, ye can save it, lad. Tho' I must say I was quite put out that ye ruined my plans for the lassie."

"She is not a toy to be played with, Dougal! Ye had no right…"

"Och aye? Is that so? Weel, I dinna see that ye have much to say about it, lad. If I've a mind to take her for myself, I will."

"Dougal! Ye are married! Ye canna…"

Dougal grinned, maliciously. "I didna say I was going to marry her."

That was the last straw. Jamie's rage was all too clear at this point, even to Claire, who was standing at least 100 feet away. Jamie punched Dougal in the gut and then launched himself on his startled uncle. They rolled on the floor, punching and kicking, then Jamie rolled over on top of him and pinned him to the floor, immovable in his iron grip.

He leaned down so that his face was mere inches from Dougal's. "Let's settle this like men. I challenge you to a duel, uncle. For the lady's honor."

Dougal was shocked that his nephew had just called him out, but then again, their relationship had always been volatile. Dougal had known that someday it would come down to the two of them, and it appeared that the time had now come. "Alright, lad. Swords at dawn by the south glen."

"I'll be there."

Jamie released his uncle and rose to his feet. He turned briefly to look at Claire, her face ashen. He wanted to go to her, but knew he could not. Not until this matter was settled. He turned in the opposite direction and stalked towards the main castle exit. He would sleep in the stables tonight and prepare himself for the duel. Tomorrow's dawn would bring resolution, once and for all.

* * *

Claire lay in her bed, mind frantic with worry. What had he done? The look on his face had been frightening, to say the least, but even more frightening was the violent resolve she could see in his eyes. Something bad was about to happen.

"Do ye want anything else before I leave ye Miss?" the chambermaid asked, as she finished banking the fire for the night.

"No, thank you."

The chambermaid, Elsie, looked at Claire with concern. "Are ye alright, Miss? Ye look worrit about something. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Thank you, Elsie, but I will be quite alright. I'm just…worried about a friend."

"It wouldna be that handsome redhead lad, would it? I heard from the footman that he went and challenged Dougal Mackenzie, the war chief himself, to a duel! Can ye imagine?"

She could imagine it. All too clearly. The thought of that beautiful lad, lying crumpled on the ground…

Elsie continued, "It seems the lad is fighting Dougal to save a woman's honor. The boy must have it bad for the lass to fight his own uncle to win her."

Claire gasped. So *that* was it. He was fighting for *her.* She didn't know what to say or what to think. All she knew was that he could be hurt…because of her."

Seeing that Claire didn't intend to talk anymore, Elsie left the room and bid her goodnight.

Her thoughts were in turmoil. Why would he do this? He had never declared his intentions to her. He had been a good friend - but perhaps his smiles and touches were more than just friendly flirtations. Perhaps he was…in love with her. Could it be?

She tossed and turned for another hour, then gave it up. She slid out of bed and drew her cloak around her shoulders, padding towards the open window to look out into the night. The moon was high and full, brightening the night sky. She could see the sentries on the ramparts outside, keeping watch over the castle grounds.

A lone figure walked out from the stables, waving at the nearest sentry before changing direction toward the loch. As he passed by the castle, he stopped for a moment, looking up. He seemed to be looking straight up at her window. Could it be? Was it Jamie?

Her doubts were assuaged in the next moment, when he raised one hand to his lips, sending a silent kiss towards her open window, then placing his hand over his heart. He moved away, then, continuing on his solitary path, into the darkness of the night.

Her heart was beating fast, did that really just happen? Surely that hadn't been Jamie, and yet…

All at once, the world made perfect sense. All of those long talks, secret glances, soft touches…all of the shy smiles and chance encounters…all of it made sense now. He loved her! And, at that moment, she knew, with perfect certainty, that she loved him too.

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, Claire woke at rooster's crow. She wanted to get dressed quickly so that she could make it in time to stop Jamie's duel. She planned to run down to the south glen as soon as possible, find him, and tell him how she felt about him. She hoped that would be enough to stop him from fighting Dougal. He needed to know that he didn't need to fight to win her. He had already won.

By the time Claire made it to the glen, the fight had already started. She saw the two men, locked together in battle, swords clanging loudly with each blow.

"Ye will not disrespect her, Dougal! Ye will pay for what ye did!"

"I think not, lad, the lass belongs to me!" Dougal made a lunge for Jamie, slicing through his shirt, a mere inch from cutting him.

Claire tried very hard not to cry out, not wanting to distract Jamie during the fight.

While Dougal was swinging his blade back for another blow, Jamie brought the hilt of his sword down on Dougal's head, knocking him to the ground. He swiftly stepped on Dougal's sword arm, immobilizing his blade, then kicked the sword out of his hand with the other foot. Jamie brought the tip of his own sword up to Dougal's neck, ready to deal the final blow.

"I dinna want to kill ye, uncle, but justice must be done for yer treachery. If ye yield to me now, then I will spare ye…*this* time."

Dougal stared daggers at him, but ultimately relented, knowing the cause was lost. Seeing his assent, Jamie sheathed his sword and offered his hand to Dougal. His uncle reluctantly took the offered hand as Jamie heaved him up to his feet. Dougal nodded solemnly at Jamie, then stalked off.

Jamie bent to catch his breath, then straightened to retrieve his coat on a nearby tree branch. As he turned to walk towards the castle, he saw her.

White faced and teary eyed, she rushed toward him, launching herself into his arms.

"Claire?" he said, surprised. "What are ye doing here, lass? It isna safe for ye to be out here."

She hugged him close to her, then raised her head to look into his fathomless, sapphire eyes. "I'm here for you, Jamie. I couldn't let you face this alone. I know…you did it for me."

His cheeks turned pink. Nervously, he said, "Ye know? What exactly do ye know, Sassenach?"

She smiled and put her arms around his neck, stroking his auburn curls with her fingers. "I know that you love me, Jamie."

He cleared his throat, then said, "Ye do? Weel, I…"

"It's ok, Jamie. You can tell me what's in your heart. For you have won me already, long before this day."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What are ye saying, Claire?"

"I'm saying I love you."

With that, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, full on the mouth, her lips pressing gently to his. He responded in kind, deepening the kiss and bringing one hand up to cradle her head. She sighed softly, falling deeper into his kiss. In that moment, they surrendered their hearts to each other, and made a silent vow to be together forever.


End file.
